CONCORD, N.C. (May 24, 2015) – Greg Biffle honored his second cousin, Private Dean VanDyke, whose name was displayed across the windshield of the No. 16 Ortho Ford with a second-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600. Biffle was a constant figure in the top 10 for the longest race of the year and in the end was able to stretch fuel mileage to earn his best finish of the season in what was also his 450th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start.
“I’m really excited for the team and the organization,” said Biffle. “We’ve been working really, really hard on our cars. The car was good and had a lot of speed. That was a huge improvement. I was putting a lot of pressure on Carl. I started going with about 10 laps to go. The crew chief told me to save all I could and just stay in front of the No. 88 and I made the decision that I was going to try to beat Carl. I got pretty close to him there and then with two to go the fuel light came on that the fuel pressure was low, so I came around and had to start pushing the clutch in and shutting it off and coasting and try and preserve what fuel I had to make it back. I was excited to see the checkered flag.”
The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the season and a challenge for the field since it starts in the day and ends at night. Biffle had one of the fastest cars in practice and was able to earn a fourth-place starting position at a place where track position is crucial.
From the drop of the green flag, Biffle ran consistent lap times and ran in the top 10 for a majority of the race. The team kept up with the changing track conditions with air pressure and wedge adjustments. In the end Biffle was able to stretch his fuel further than others and took advantage of a fast Ortho Ford to run down the leader. Biffle came up just a little short, coming home second in his 450th career NSCS start. The second-place finish moves Biffle up to 19th in the point standings.
